Partnership Approach Vital To Strengthening UK Food Resilience, Says Tesco UK CEO
- 2 days ago
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Tesco UK Chief Executive Ashwin Prasad has set out a vision for building a more resilient UK farming sector based on deep, long‑term partnerships, better data, and practical on‑farm innovation, arguing that collaboration across the food chain is now essential to secure the country’s food future.
Speaking at this week’s 2026 NFU Conference, Prasad positioned British farmers as central to Tesco’s growth strategy and to the UK’s ambitions on net zero and food security.
With UK appetite rising for British fresh food, Tesco is inviting the industry to collaborate with the retailer to build resilience, drive growth, and create a sustainable future for British farming.
“In January we announced our fresh food sales had risen by 6.6% – proving the demand for fresh, healthy, British-grown food has never been stronger amongst our customers,” Prasad told conference delegates. “I invite you to collaborate with us to meet that demand.”
The UK has the potential to be a global leader in sustainable, low-carbon farming, according to Prasad, who pointed to progress already made across its supply chains.
Building Resilience Through Data And Innovation
A major theme of Prasad’s message is the role of robust data and practical innovation in making farms more resilient.
For example, he described how Tesco launched in November its own environmental data baselining programme, supporting 360 beef and sheep farmers to collect soil, water and nature data at scale for the first time.
Ultimately, Prasad said farmers must be listened to in order to build resilience within the food industry.
He emphasised that farmers “do not want more research that sits on the shelf” but solutions that solve real problems on farm and deliver results.
Using that feedback from farmers, Tesco is focusing on getting practical innovation onto farms.
At its low-carbon concept farm in Lincolnshire, the retailer is working with suppliers to trial and scale new innovations such as low-carbon fertilisers, alternative fuels, and energy-efficient infrastructure.
Already, this farm has produced 260,000 (2kg) packs of potatoes now on sale in Tesco stores.
Supporting Farmers Through SFGs
Tesco’s Sustainable Farming Groups (SFGs) were also presented as a key vehicle for retailer-farmer collaboration and fairer value sharing.
The retailer argues that these enable best practice sharing, testing of new ideas and innovations, as well as supporting and incentivising sustainability initiatives.
“I fully recognise financial sustainability must be the cornerstone of the partnerships we have with you all,” Prasad told NFU delegates.
“Our SFGs across dairy, beef, sheep, pigs, and produce benefit from transparent pricing structures, with each one specifically tailored to the needs of that sector. And because farmers have told us they need help achieving shared environmental goals, we’ve also introduced sustainability-linked incentives for over 400 farmers across the groups.”
What’s Next?
Alongside Tesco’s own initiatives, Prasad said the retailer is urging the government to back British farming with a coherent, long‑term food strategy.
He argued that such a strategy must protect the UK’s high standards, and create a level playing field across the food industry.
“We must give all of you [British farmers] clarity on the role you can play in the UK’s wider transition to net zero, as well as create the right policy conditions for you to be able to invest in, and benefit from that transition,” Prasad explained.
Tesco’s Greenprint for UK Farming report, published in January 2025, sets out several recommendations for industry and government.
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